Welcome to the 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway'

The original Somerset and Dorset Railway closed very controversially in 1966. It is time that decision, made in a very different world, was reversed. We now have many councillors, MPs, businesses and individuals living along the line supporting us. Even the Ministry of Transport supports our general aim. The New S&D was formed in 2009 with the aim of rebuilding as much of the route as possible, at the very least the main line from Bath (Britain's only World Heritage City) to Bournemouth (our premier seaside resort); as well as the branches to Wells, Glastonbury and Wimborne. We will achieve this through a mix of lobbying, trackbed purchase and restoration of sections of the route as they become economically viable. With Climate Change, road congestion, capacity constraints on the railways and now Peak Oil firmly on the agenda we are pushing against an open door. We already own Midford just south of Bath, and are restoring Spetisbury under license from DCC, but this is just the start. There are other established groups restoring stations and line at Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone, and the fabulous narrow gauge line near Templevcombe, the Gartell Railway.

There are now FIVE sites being actively restored on the S&D and this blog will follow what goes on at all of them!

Midford - Midsomer Norton - Gartell - Shillingstone - Spetisbury

Our Aim:

Our aim is to use a mix of lobbying, strategic track-bed purchase, fundraising and encouragement and support of groups already preserving sections of the route, as well as working with local and national government, local people, countryside groups and railway enthusiasts (of all types!) To restore sections of the route as they become viable.

Whilst the New S&D will primarily be a modern passenger and freight railway offering state of the art trains and services, we will also restore the infrastructure to the highest standards and encourage steam working and steam specials over all sections of the route, as well as work very closely with existing heritage lines established on the route.

This blog contains my personal views. Anything said here does not necessarily represent the aims or views of any of the groups currently restoring, preserving or operating trains over the Somerset and Dorset Railway!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Rail travel is at it's highest peacetime level since 1928, when there was twice as much route and far less road traffic. Mind you this only applies to passenger traffic and I suspect that freight traffic still has some way to go before it reaches the levels of 1928 - but it will get there and quickly surpass anything seen in the past.

Privatisation was such a good thing for our railways, at last they had proper marketing and a reason to look ahead. Train travel today, if you can disregard the overcrowding which is a symptom of success, is better than it's ever been. Trains are classy, and cheap (if you book ahead). But we are only at the very beginning of the golden age of rail. We need to be opening 200-300 miles of new track every year. There are still far too many large towns not currently on the network, including many in Somerset and Dorset. As the roads vanish everyone will be clamouring for new lines, new stations, more trains. We need to be ready to satisfy these demands, and politicians need to make the right moves now, to ease the transition from road to rail. It's not just the current network, plus reversal of the Beeching cuts (how stupid they seem now!) but a huge expansion in light rail and tramways, plus industrial lines.

95% of people still rarely use a train. That is a HUGE potential market for railways. How many of them will be able to afford to run a car in five let alone ten years time?

The top shot is of the trackbed south of Broadstone looking towards Corfe Mullen. It shows a very minor incursion on the trackbed by a shed - hardly a problem but typical of the sort of chipping away of these essential transport links back when people didn't realise their value.

The two lower shots are of a fantastic bridge just north of Broadstone towards Wimborne. The trackbed looks very well preserved just waiting for the double track track to be relaid, and look at the superb brickwork in the long bridge/short tunnel - definitely built to last!

Derek has just taken on the Track Steward role for the stretch of line from Broadstone to Ringwood. This is one of the non-S&D routes we will restore, and will serve as an extremely useful route connecting Ringwood and Wimborne into Bournemouth, an essential commuter and freight route for the 21st century. Extending up towards West Moors and Fordingbridge, and on to Salisbury, will also be inevitable as time goes by. This will become a dense network of routes at the southern end of the S&D proper, with an additional route allowing trains to run from Bath and Templecombe direct to Wimborne, Ringwood and Brockenhurst created by a northern curve to the north of Broadstone connecting to Wimborne. Bournemouth will, at last, get proper transport to the north, routes that were destroyed between 1964 and 1966.

If you are keen on taking on a track steward role please email me at leysiner@aol.com - there are still long stretches of the line not currently covered. The role is not an onerous one, really just requiring you to keen an eye on a short stretch of the line.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Railways have been documented in such depth that there's hardly a corner that hasn't been recorded for posterity through pictures and words.

But will our roads leave ANY trace once the last car is garaged for good? Will a stretch of road be preserved and open for the public to experience an otherwise extinct transport mode? I hope so.

I did have the foresight even back in the 80s to record this doomed transport mode and have a good collection of pictures. But I doubt there are 1% of the number of railway shots out there. I'd urge all of you to go out and try to capture this form of transport in its dying years.

But there are a few books on cars, and even a few on the road culture (an oxymoron if ever there was one!) New member Derek Lunn has an excellent range on his website, and an even bigger range of railway titles. Take a look at his site and grab some of those rare titles. He will be sending out the New S&D brochure with every relevant book sold.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Hmmm. Midsomer Norton and Midford are going to have to wait. I'd assumed that this morning would dawn bright and sunny, but it's grey and miserable, not at all the right conditions for photos, particularly of the S&D. So I'll have to postpone the trip I was so looking forward to yesterday! I'll try again in a couple of weeks' time.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A real treat tomorrow - I get to go to Midsomer Norton AND Midford. The main purpose is to get up to date pictures of both locations, also to check out the boundary at Midford and plan the next stages of clearance. And take hundreds of pictures of course!

I should be at Midford by around three so if any of you want to come up for a bit of work or just a chat please try to do so.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Three shots of Midford (courtesy of Tom Seale) taken today. The clearance proceeds apace and the transformation continues! Remember that any member is welcome to get involved with the restoration - just email me first on leysiner@aol.com to check what needs to be done.

Remember that if coming by car please do not park in the Hope and Anchor car park. There is other parking in Midford, for example in Twinhoe Lane. At a later date we may well provide on site parking places, which was the arrangement in the 1980s/90s during earlier attempts to restore the site.

This is Wells Priory Road in 1963/64. Wells in England's smallest city and once boasted three stations. This branch of the S&D was the first major section of the route to close, the branch connecting to the Highbridge line (itself a branch) at Glastonbury. There was of course a more logical route through Wells via the Cheddar Valley which explains the early closure.

How Wells will be served by trains in the future is still undecided. It will be essential to connect Glastonbury and Wells back to the network though whether it will be via the line to Highbridge, Evercreech, the Cheddar Valley route (to either Witham or Yatton) or perhaps even by a new direct route over the Mendips to join the main line near Masbury ... who can tell at this early stage?

Saturday, January 22, 2011

This is the fantastic model of Blandford station which graces the cover of this month's Railway Modeller. The S&D seems to be going from strength to strength lately, it's everywhere! No other line comes close to the S&D for popularity.

I think much of the reason is that it is coming back, and more and more people are realising that that now means the WHOLE route and not just tiny - magnificent as they are - portions of it. It's amazing to think that 20 years ago not an inch of track remained in place on the route, and there were still many people that thought it would NEVER return.

We've seen a surge in membership in the New S&D over recent months, despite keeping ourselves pretty low key. Yesterday we had 419 hits on this blogsite! 2011 will see that big push that we've promised for some months. Hopefully we'll have solid news on Spetisbury soon which will mean that the S&D will be being revived at FIVE sites (6 including the private restoration at Masbury) on the route. Hopefully the groups will work more and more closely together in time. It would be nice for example to have joint meetings of all the groups (plus Washford) so we can co-ordinate the restoration and to share information. As I've often said this is a fantastic time to be involved with the most important rail restoration project in Europe!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mike Tuck's excellent site has recently uploaded some absolutely SUPERB shots taken at Midsomer Norton. It really is looking like a railway again and Mike's photos really capture the atmosphere of this truly magical stretch of the S&D.

The above shots are NOT Mike's, they are my own not particularly brilliant shots!

So take a look at his website and see the amazing progress that's been made converting a derelict site that was all but written off into an absolute credit both to the heritage movement and the S&D - high praise indeed!

Fuel prices seem to be hitting the news again, in amongst all the other reports of price rises.

The tanker drivers are whimpering, reminding us of nothing more than the coal miners in the 80s, haulage companies are whining about their costs, regular car drivers are moaning about the price of fuel. Anyone would think it was expensive! It isn't. It will never be this cheap again.An amazing statement today, and I haven't made this up, was 'Drivers will ALWAYS pay whatever price is asked for fuel, even ten pounds a gallon!' There's an implication that ten pounds a gallon is some incredibly distant, almost unfeasibly high price that we won't see in our lifetimes. Really? The very use of 'gallon' suggests some old dinosaur fart, looking back to some nostalgic past where petrol was, for example, £1.98.7 per gallon. Well £10 per gallon equates to about £2.22 a litre. Some pundits are already expecting it to hit £1.50 per litre THIS summer, with crude oil reaching $100-$200 per barrel within a year or so. That price of £2.22 per litre will soon seem cheap.

But of course it won't only be the cost of petrol that's a factor, but its availability. And that will be the real crunch. A mix of high prices, crumbling roads and uncertainty of supply will drive almost all drivers off the road. And that's when rail will be the obvious answer to EVERYONE, not just those of us that are forward-thinking. Opportunity will knock far sooner than most of us expect.

These shots from the Shillingstone website show the amazing progress they are making on rebuilding the signalbox. This is impressive work and will be a real asset to the S&D. Midsomer Norton did this a few years ago and Graeme Mayes worked wonders recreating another S&D iconic signalbox there. With Midsomer Norton South and now Shillingstone signal boxes returning from the past how long before Midford - and many other places en route - also reappear in all their glory?

2011 so far has been an amazing year for the S&D all along the line. Midford is now almost cleared, Midsomer Norton is progressing steadily, with regular trains a feature later in the year, and Shillingstone seems to have had an incredible new burst of energy. Hopefully Spetisbury will also begin to stir in the next few months.

I can't see anything now stopping the gradual restoration of the whole route and in a real S&D style rather than the basic railway which is the alternative. This is a fantastic time to be involved with the S&D and the old (ridiculous) 'divisions' which once tainted us are disappearing as quickly as the infrastructure is reappearing.

So please get involved. Obviously join the New S&D, as this is the umbrella organisation for the whole route, but please also join any or all of the other organisations that are preserving and restoring the S&D (Midsomer Norton, Shillingstone, Gartell and Washford). All of the groups, even including the New S&D now we have Midford, offer loads of opportunities to work on site as well as behind the scenes activities which are so important. Hopefully soon we will be able to offer joint membership for all the groups which will benefit the whole S&D.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Hard to believe this is the same jungle that existed back in September when work started! It's beginning to open up new vistas of the line, we now also have our own entrance to the site via the gate in picture 2 - this will obviate the need to use the pub car park for deliveries. It really is starting to look like a proper looked after station again - with the restoration of track not a physical issue at all!

First apologies for no posts for a week or so - I've not been too well. But a lot better today ...

I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for Bachmann's S&D 7F '00' gauge model. It's now with us and it looks fantastic.

Is there any other line apart from the S&D that would get this treatment? A specific model for our route and look at the pubicity shot with a classic S&D landscape behind. This shows the enormous power of our brand!

This post was inspired by this from Adrian Romano which covers S&D and modelling and a few other things ...

I don't know if you keep abreast of what is going on in the world of model railways at present, but there's suddenly a lot of S & D emphasis here and there, what with the excellent 00 gauge layout based on Blandford Forum station at the local museum starring as Railway of the Month in the "Railway Modeller", Bachmann's superb models of S & D 7Fs and Hornby releasing a set of Maunsell coaches as running on S & D metals and a 2P in that railway's Prussian blue.

Apropos Peak Oil, if the peak happens round about 2015 as they suggest on the Steel Interstate website, this would be around the time a century ago when, in Switzerland, there were serious coal shortages on their railways as a result of the First World War, and they ended up electrifying the major routes such as the Gotthardbahn in the 1920s by taking advantage of cheap electricity from hydro-electric plant. A similar scenario could affect the US of A in the coming years, possibly as an unwelcome addition to the in-tray of a Republican administration with Sarah Palin as Vice-President soon after coming into office!

Myself? I've just submitted an application to join the Mid-Anglia Rail Passengers' Association, to promote and protect rail services between Ipswich and Cambridge and Peterborough. It will be interesting to learn how seriously they and Railfuture are taking Peak Oil at present.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

I made my first trip to the USA in November and I was VERY impressed. It was much cleaner, friendlier and, surprisingly, greener than the UK. Dozens of new tram systems have opened up there in the last ten years and rail is seeing a big revival. Most US freight is already carried by rail. The US did of course have a superb rail network - both steam and electric (interurban) until about the 40s, but then cheap oil and the car took over.

Cheap oil is now vanishing and the US is leading the way in the switch from road to rail. See below for a tangential view of this development.

Auto-suburbia is losing its utility and its desirability. More from "The Echo Boom: A New Wave of Market Change":

One overlooked issue in particular about the Echo Boomers will have a meaningful impact on all forms of real estate…they don’t drive.

According to a report by Kiplinger, motorists aged 21 to 30 now account for 14% of miles driven, down from 21% in 1995. As quoted in that report, William Draves, president of Learning Resources Network pointed out, "This generation focuses its buying on computers, BlackBerrys, music and software and views commuting a few hours by car a huge productivity waste when they can work using PDAs while taking the bus and train."

This certainly doesn’t bode well for the automotive industry, but it also may not help real estate strategies that rely on communities and suburbs that can only be navigated by car. The Baby Boomers fueled the growth of cities that revolve around cars, but the Echo Boomers are likely to flock to places where they don’t have to drive every day. This could be a significant drag on low-density communities without mass transit and a boon to older, more compact cities.

Monday, January 03, 2011

Wish you luck and agree with idea but you are living in a fantasy world if you think it will ever REALLY happen; too many plots sold off and millions upon millions of pounds of infrastructure to replace. Should never have been closed - but the time to fight was 60s, like the Settle and Carlisle Railway supporters did. The only REAL railway investment likely to happen now is HIGH SPEED links, not the local loss making railways. Despite this, you are right but that doesn't mean much!My reply -

I hate fantasy - it's a waste of energy! You won't find any in the New S&D - we are a terribly straight-laced and unsentimental lot! Businesspeople, accountants, economists and academics in the main.

Please don't just wish us luck - join us!

Billions, not millions. We have no illusions as to the difficulty in raising money like this, but there are ways. And it will get easier as time goes by.

The S&C fight was in the 70s, the absolute nadir of railways. In fact I felt that was the turning point for rail in the UK and the S&C (I was born in Carlisle) is one of the inspirations for the S&D.

Most rail infrastructure investments in this country since have been for local routes - Robin Hood line, Airdrie-Bathgate, Ebbw Vale, Waverley route, Larkhall, Alloa, Welsh Highland Railway. HS rail is part of the future, but will hardly be ideal for freight, terrible for local rail traffic and is already causing controversy through the areas it runs, as the inhabitants can't see the benefits they'll get. It's not a zero-sum game. Remember all that former road development money is coming rail's way ...

And the S&D won't be a loss-maker in any case. Remember that dodgy accounting, hatred of the route by the regional management and a deliberate decision not to rationalise and dieselise the route, together with diversion of traffic, killed the line, not big losses. It certainly won't be a loss maker in the future - we hope to pay regular and good dividends to the shareholders!It will happen - the only question is what sort of S&D will emerge. Let's do it our way.

Our website

JOIN THE NEW S&D!!

Joining the New S&D is easy - simply click on the Paypal button below for ordinary (£15), junior (£7) or LIFE (£250) membership. Membership gives you the right (with full insurance cover) to work at either of our sites at Midford and Spetisbury, 2 magazines per year and 10% discount on items from our online sales site and, in the future, reduced fares on trains!

WANTED FOR THE NEW S&D!

As we move from the early stages to a more mature state we need a number of key people to help us spread the word about the New S&D and rail resurgence in general. Ideally we'd love to have the following people -

SALES OFFICER - to develop mail order and internet sales, also attend events up and down the route to promote the line. At a later stage will be fully responsible for building shop stock at Midford and Spetisbury.

PROMOTIONS OFFICER - to promote the line via meetings etc. Would also liaise with local and regional government, working as a lobbyist for the New S&D. Would work closely with the PRESS OFFICER.

TREASURER - to take care of the accounts, make payments etc, and advise on financial matters.

HERITAGE OFFICER - to promote and care for all the heritage aspects of the line.

If you are interested in any of the above posts please email me at leysiner@aol.com

Ideally the sales officer position needs to be held by somebody local to the line - would happily split this role Dorset/Somerset if it makes it more manageable! Ideally the Promotions Officer would also live locally to the line. The other posts can be distant from the line.

OUR NEXT MEETING -

will be our AGM, spring 2015 location to be decided, but will be in the Bath area.

New S&D Logo

and website link!

SPETISBURY

We are now actively restoring the site at SPETISBURY, in Dorset. If you are interested in getting involved down there please contact our Spetisbury Project Manager by email on deancockwell@ntlworld.com
Alternatively please phone me (Steve Sainsbury) on 0117 3738973

MIDFORD FACEBOOK - NEW SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY The New S&D will be holding a meeting on Saturday 21st May from 2pm to 4...

bring it back

WORKING AT MIDFORD - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Volunteers are welcome to go up to Midford at any time to do restoration work - but please bear the following in mind!Please under no circumstances park in the Hope and Anchor car park at any time, even when the pub is not open. There is plenty of car parking on Twinhoe Lane, by the gate that gives access to the cycleway. From there it is a very pleasant walk to the station over the viaduct! Please carry tools etc by hand.Please email or phone me first just so I know there is somebody there and to give you an idea of what work needs to be done.Within a few weeks we will have New S&D reflective jackets available. Please wear these whenever possible.You are an ambassador for the line. Please talk to anyone who is interested in the line and if you have them please hand out leaflets. Be friendly and professional at all times!Please keep the cycleway clear of tools etc at all times.Please take ALL litter etc home, including cigarette ends.

Please respect all the wildlife in the area, always check if clearing that you are not destroying a nest etc. If in doubt please leave well alone.Please use the Hope and Anchor pub for drinks and food.We do not currently have insurance for volunteers. You are working at your own risk, personal injury insurance is recommended.Please take care at all times and think of others, volunteers and members of the public.

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WANTED!

Volunteers to join the regular working parties restoring MIDFORD station.

You need to be a New S&D member (you can sign up on the day). Bring tools etc!

the rail thing

Come with us on a journey through time and space ...
the rail thing can throw up ANYTHING rail-related, from BR in the 70s to Swiss trams, Czech funiculars to British classic miniature railways ...the rail thing

New S&D on Facebook

Midford Station Appeal

The first aim of the New S&D will be to secure the station site at Midford and rebuild the station as a visitor information centre. This will only be the very first small step to restoring the route, but possibly the most important. As Paypal charges can be high it is better to make larger donations (£20+) by cheque wherever possible, but please feel free to use this facility for any amounts if easier! Cheques should be made payable to 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway' and sent to New S&D, Midford Station Appeal, 10 Bellamy Avenue, Hartcliffe, BRISTOL, BS13 0HW. We may be introducing a share scheme for the station so a record will be made of all donations and if a share scheme is agreed then all moneys will be allocated to doners and shares issued to the full value of donations made.

MIDFORD STATION APPEAL

Join and support the New S&D

Basic membership is just £15 per year. This entitles you to participate in all New S&D activities, receive regular news and info (by email and/or post), vote at meetings, receive 10% reduction on sales items and, if you wish, contribute directly to the blog.

enhanced options

YOU CAN OF COURSE ALSO PAY BY CHEQUE! Please make cheques payable to 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway' and send to New S&D, 10 Bellamy Avenue, Hartcliffe, BRISTOL, BS13 0HW

Donations to the New S&D

You can now donate specifically for those aspects of the New S&D that you personally have the most interest in.
New S&D Steam Centre
Plan is to create a base on the route (Templecombe or Evercreech are suggested) where steam locomotives can be shedded and serviced and run services over the route. These will be additional to the 'real' passenger and freight scheduled services.

You can donate any amount by clicking the Paypal button below.

STEAM CENTRE.

If your main interest is in purchasing and securing land and buildings then you can donate any amount specifically for this purpose by clicking on the Paypal button below.

LAND PURCHASE.

If you would like to donate towards lobbying local, regional and national government in addition to helping maintain a high media profile then you can donate any amount by clicking the Paypal button below.
LOBBYING AND MEDIA.

You can of course make specific donations by cheque through the post. Please state what the donation is for, or whether it is a general donation, and send to -

What group does what on the S&D?

The S&D was a large network, over 100 miles in all, and was the most popular line in the UK, if not the world.

For this reason there are a variety of groups restoring and preserving the S&D.

They are -

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway - a land purchasing and lobbying group determined to reopen the whole S&D as a response to Peak Oil and Climate Change, blending sustainable modern and heritage transport. Direct email contact. They also manage the growing Somerset and Dorset Railway ecommerce site here. They own and are currently restoring Midford station and will shortly do the same at Spetisbury, for rebuilding as information offices for the whole route. Facebook.

Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust - restoring Midsomer Norton station with plans to extend to Radstock and towards Shepton Mallet. In summer regular passnger trains are operated at this iconic S&D location. The station and area have been restored to their full pre-closure glory. There is also a museum on site.

Sturminster Rail Group - aim is to purchase strategic sections of the route particularly between Sturminster Newton and Henstridge to allow the running of trains in the future.

North Dorset Railway Trust - based at Shillingstone in Dorset has restored the iconic station at Shillingstone and is also in the process of laying track for up to a mile. They have a diesel loco on site and will shortly be taking delivery of steam loco 'Cunarder'. Facebook.

Gartell Light Railway - a two foot gauge private railway operating on part of the S&D near Templecombe, currently extending northwards. Operates about once a month.

There is also a private restoration project at Masbury station but PLEASE do not trespass on the site!

The S&D Stamp Appeal

Turning stamps into track!

Remember you can help raise money for the New Somerset and Dorset Railway or the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust (Midsomer Norton) by sending used stamps to us. These are quickly turned into cash which will help us set the organisation up or continue the work at Midsomer Norton.

ALL stamps are required, even the regular 1st and 2nd class small ones. Ideally they should be trimmed to within about 1/4" of the perforations, on just the front part of the envelope.

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Copyright

We do occasionally use images and text from other people. Wherever possible we do contact the creators to clear use, but it is sometimes hard to trace the original copyright, for example if we use an uncredited image from a third party website. Please be assured that all text and images are for strictly non-commercial use. If you are a copyright holder and we have used your text or images please contact us and we will endeavour to either remove the text/images or come to an agreement for their use. We all have the interest of the S&D at heart.